The Awakening
by lilvivi3
Summary: Li Syaoran is determined to return Sakura from the dead. But to do that Eriol, Meiling, Syaoran and the two guardians must enter the Undeworld where deadly entrapments lie and things don't exactly go according to plan. Sequel to ACBD! Ch 3 up.Setter-upper
1. Prologue

Well, Sakura hasn't even rested in her grave yet, and I've _already started working on the sequel. Strange isn't it? But motivation hits me at the funniest moments, like the time I was sitting on the toilet and A Cherry Blossom's Death suddenly hit me. So for those who were wondering how I came up with the story, basically I was minding my own business, doing a well-needed crap. That probably turned your stomachs. Sorry for lack of a warning -_-;;  This one is short, since it's only a starter chappy…_

Can't say I own CCS. I would if I could, but I don't and can't, so I won't. Does that make any sense to you, cuz honestly I lost myself at 'own…'

_Italics either mean thoughts or an emphasis on the word. You decide._

~ * ~ * ~ That won't change! Passing of time or a new paragraph, most likely.

****

**The Awakening**

Prologue:

 "…and please welcome back Li Syaoran and Hiirigiwaza Eriol…and you might also remember Li Meiling…" Terada-sensei announced, giving all three a warm smile. "You remember where you used to sit, don't you?" he asked, then silenced the scattered applause. 

Syaoran walked to his old desk casually, trying not to break down over the fact that Sakura's desk would be empty. Really and truly empty. Eriol gave him a quick once-over hoping to dear God that anything short of ordinary would _not happen here, in the eight grade classroom, especially anything to do with Sakura's absence. He, himself, felt an emptiness in his stomach as he sat down and glanced at Tomoyo's desk, which showed signs that it had been cleaned out for some time now. Sonomi had done her job; she'd wanted everything that reminded her of her daughter, put away. With a frown he scanned the rows of desks and noticed a certain lack of students since the last time he'd been here. He gave Syaoran a meaningful look, which Syaoran quickly acknowledged with a grunt – in Syaoran's words "leave me alone…I'm depressed and Sakura's gone and I just wanna wallow in my own miserable life." _

With a shake of his head, Eriol pondered over it, noting that they were Chiharu, Rika, and Naoko's desks. If only one, or even two of them had been absent, then maybe things would be a little less suspicious, but to have all three of them away today was quite strange. Meiling, too, must've noticed for she cocked an eyebrow at him as he turned around. (AN: does Meiling really sit behind Eriol, or am I way off? Somebody help!!!) He mouthed a 'lunch' to her and she nodded. They'd wait til lunch to discuss everything that had been going on, and Syaoran would most certainly be happy that they'd finally decided to take the plunge and try to bring Sakura back from the dead. Their trip was due next week. When they'd first told Syaoran about the idea, he'd gone absolutely ecstatic, demanding they go right away to get Sakura and Tomoyo back, but Eriol had other things in mind. First, as he'd pointed out, they had to make sure their whereabouts of the last month wasn't taken further than a simple 'mourning,' from the rest of their classmates. And secondly, Meiling had also realized that the Sakura Cards hadn't gone every which way, the moment that Sakura had died. That must have meant something, so she'd decided to ask Kero about it. Kero, unfortunately, had been in one of his more somber days and had burst into tears once he'd heard his Mistress's name. 

Apparently, since Syaoran – the second strongest magician in the world – had been the one to kill Sakura, he'd already passed the Judgment, according to sacred law in which it stated that _if the Master or Mistress of the Cards were defeated by the next person in line for the duty, then whoever defeated him or her would take on the responsibility of the Cards without test or the hassle of card capturing. It had been a fact that all three of them had rejoiced in, for it meant that they wouldn't have to deal with the whole Card Captor ordeal once again. Now that things were back to normal – well, almost back to normal, Meiling reflected, they'd have another journey way ahead of them. And this time, they'd be prepared. They'd need an extra week to train themselves to gain a higher magic level, but other than that they were already set to go. _

Meiling licked her lips nervously as Terada-sensei continued to talk about their assignments which were due next week. Call her crazy, but she was actually looking _forward to this adventure. __Sakura…this time you'll see a side of me you've never seen before…and this time…we'll be friends…_

~ * ~ * ~

"And you're saying that we leave this exact day, next week?!" Syaoran exclaimed, his face brightening considerably. His sullen face was now practically glowing like a light bulb. Meiling shielded her eyes and nodded with a smile. "It's our duty to get Sakura back…" she giggled then added "after all, we know how bad you'd be as a Master of the Cards. No doubt Sakura would do a much better job." 

Eriol chuckled to himself, taking in the sight of the two cousins actually being more… 'cousinly' – he couldn't exactly say they were getting along, he mused as Syaoran *thwapped* Meiling on the head. Eriol remembered just a few days ago when Syaoran had resented Meiling for being here in Tomoeda again, but now it looked like that problem could be ruled out of the list of dilemmas that were sure to occur in their trip. It was a frightening thought, really…to go to the Underworld…

Neither Meiling or Syaoran had mentioned it, but they both knew that Eriol was looking forward to going to the Underworld, also for the fact that he would be united with Tomoyo again. They knew he was trying to overlook the fact that since Tomoyo had technically killed herself, the law would not allow her to return to life without a pretty damn good fight. 

"Quiet down guys," he whispered as he glanced at the number of people who had turned to look at the two cousins when Syaoran had turned from Scrooge himself to Elmo gone absolutely postal. In this situation he didn't want people figuring they'd gone clinical during the time between Sakura's death and now. If there were gonna carry off this new scheme properly, they'd have to make sure that everybody thought things were going absolutely hunky-dory. After all, Tomoeda was strange enough already; what with the deaths of both Sakura _and Tomoyo, and also having to deal with all of the strange occurrences from the cards two years back. _

Meiling stopped her little game with Syaoran and turned to Eriol, having just thought of something. "Ummm, Eriol?" she asked, chewing her lip nervously. "I always thought there was a Heaven and Hell…how come everybody is jam-packed in one place? Sakura should be in Heaven right now, shouldn't she?" 

Eriol took in the question. He had to admit, that was a pretty damn good question. "Uh…" he muttered, trying to remember what he'd been taught as a child. Light suddenly dawned on him. "Both Tomoyo and Sakura are yet to be placed in one spot. Both did good in their lives, but both died for wrong reasons…that's why we have to get there before the judging begins…once they've been categorized, we'll never be able to get them back…"

"But that means we have to leave sooner!" Syaoran protested, ever the eager one. He didn't want to think about losing Sakura…again! 

Eriol shook his head. "My descendant, you have yet to learn," he murmured. "We'll let things die down a bit before we do a bit of Sakura-searching, ne?" 

Syaoran sighed and nodded, knowing full well that he couldn't argue with Eriol…and Meiling would most probably agree with Eriol; they had formed a kind of bond in that area…

"Alright," he agreed finally. "But we leave this exact time next week…"

~ * ~ * ~

Okay, so that was a short one…a _really short one, but if you think about it, all my prologues are short and the next chapter features all of them going to the Underworld anyway…and there'll be heaps of cool stuff happening there! Constructive criticism, suggestions and opinions are always welcome ^_~_

Next chapter up fairly soon.


	2. Going Doooooown!

What am I to say? Action, thrills! Heaps of spills…gee, well I guess that this sequel has a lot more action than A Cherry Blossom's Death. And for those of you who thought A Cherry Blossom's Death was dark, wait til you read this one!  This chapter is mostly it gives you some background information on the plot, so you can't miss it! No, I'm serious guys…::audience laughs:: Seriously… ::audience laughs harder:: Aargh! ::walks off muttering:: Ingrates…

I don't own CCS.

**The Awakening**

**Chapter One: Going Doooown!**

_Where to begin? Eriol mused, running a finger through the shelves of books he kept mostly for his own enjoyment. Seven hundred and eighty nine books to replace that nice big hole in his heart that had once been filled up with love. But love sure as hell had disappeared once Tomoyo'd gone and killed herself. Yup. So now that left books…good ol' books – even as a child he'd been intrigued by the way they carried him into a new and exciting place filled with drama and action…and at times provided him with the information he needed. But right now, seven hundred and eight nine books was pretty damn irritating – seven hundred and eighty eight of which he wouldn't be needing any time soon.  _

What he had in mind was that book Amoire Tish had given him for his ninth birthday – a hardback which he had found incredibly difficult to read, but kept all the same. Five years back he'd wondered why in the world his adoptive mother had given him such a book…after all, it wasn't exactly a thriller or filled with blood, guts and gore – something Eriol had found rather intriguing at the age of nine. Now, however, he found that book more resourceful than any other book he'd be able to buy at Barnes and Nobles or Angus and Robertson. 

It contained a rather detailed chapter on the effects of the afterlife, setting dead spirits free, returning people to the dead…everything he needed to know in order to prepare himself for the ordeal they were all about to face. After all, it wasn't every day that three fourteen-year-olds and two guardians willingly agreed to enter the world of the deceased. 

Eriol shuddered at the prospect of Tomoyo…dead. After a month and a bit, he still hadn't fully registered the idea of his sweet Tomoyo-chan no longer existing in this world…scary thought – one he didn't want to dwell over too much, especially when his hopes were riding high that she wouldn't be dead for long. He concentrated on finding that damn book…ironic really, how it was there when you thought nothing of it, and then disappeared when you needed it most. 

He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration, wondering where in the world he had placed it last time he'd seen it. He wasn't the type to hide something for fear of somebody else finding it; aside from the fact that he was half the reincarnation of Clow Reed, and had magic, he had nothing to hide. He ran a finger down the rows again, his brow furrowing as he frowned. If only Spinel and Nakuru were here now to help him with this problem, but they were back in England, just as he'd assigned them so that they could keep watch over his home there. 

He distinctly remembered placing it between two wide dark-blue volumes, and went to check in Section Twelve on the bottom shelf. The volumes were certainly there…but there was a gap between the big navy books …where Amoire Tish's book used to be…somebody had got there first…but who? (AN: ooh! Already something sinister has happened. Just like the fic before this, The Awakening's got some untold secrets that will be revealed much later on…for now, you're just gonna have to enjoy the ride!)

~ * ~

Meiling dodged the first few attacks, keeping pace with Syaoran as they trained under the watchful eye of Wei who had _insisted he be with them in case one of them got hurt. Meiling wondered how the butler would react if he knew why they were training. She thought it would be best if they didn't inform him of their plans. _

As Eriol had cautioned them as they'd gone their own separate ways, 'Be prepared.'

It was one piece of advice that nobody was going to argue with, especially when they knew that they'd only managed to defeat Seria with mere luck. They just couldn't count on luck to get them through every battle, so they'd had to train extra hard in order to be in shape for the upcoming travel in one weeks time. Syaoran, Meiling noticed, was training twice as hard as any of them and she worried that he might put himself through too much strain. She had only been in the magic business for a short while now, but she knew enough to know that too much training could lead to some kind of blackout, and with the intensity of their plans, they certainly wouldn't want that. Even if they weren't traveling to one particular Heaven or Hell, and were only going to the categorizing section of the whole dead-deal, the occurrences could still be pretty gruesome. 

Syaoran's magic level had reached a pretty high standard due to his devotion to his training, and Meiling's had risen a few notches since the last time too. If they kept this up, their trip would be nothing more than a simple click of the fingers. She tried to jump backwards as Syaoran's dagger-like attack hit her full force but she didn't dodge it in time, and she collapsed on the floor panting for breath. "Geez, Syaoran," Meiling laughed, wiping the perspiration from her forehead. "Go easy on me will ya? I'm not as experienced as you." 

Syaoran grinned and decided to take a break, draping a towel around his neck and taking a sip of water to quench his thirst. "Great defensive skills Meiling," he praised his cousin and she beamed. It wasn't every day her cousin acknowledged how great she was getting, and Meiling felt proud that finally they had reached a cousinly truce, where Syaoran wouldn't have to resent her for whatever she did. Wei disappeared to make sure the car in which he had driven them in hadn't been stolen or something, and Meiling took it as an opportunity to discuss everything she had been dying to talk about, but couldn't – not when there were so many people around. The two of them had decided it would be too difficult to train in the apartment, especially since everything was breakable and wouldn't exactly hold against a large amount of magic. All three had then decided to find a sensible place to train without making other people suspicious. 

The old abandoned warehouse where the Final Showdown had taken place had been the best bet – although it brought about painful memories. 

Wei had certainly been surprised over the fact that they'd chosen the warehouse – _he hadn't known anything about their late night adventure. And he certainly would be left in the dark about their newest one. It wasn't that they didn't trust him – it was just that they didn't expect and adult to understand what they were going through, and no doubt he'd most probably update Auntie Yelan on the whole deal. _

"So…do you really think we can do it?" Meiling asked, cocking her head and peering closely at her cousin to see his reaction. He seemed to tense for a moment and then he relaxed and shot her a confident smile. 

"Yeah…of course. I _know we can do it!" His eyes burned with so much courage and determination, it almost made Meiling let go of all her doubts and worries. _

She didn't say anything then brought up another topic that had been nagging at her for a few days now. "Do you…think we'll have to deal with Seria again?" she asked anxiously. It was bad enough going to see a whole bunch of dead spirits, but the fact that they might also meet up with Sakura's twin wasn't something she could take. 

Syaoran pondered over the question then answered it with one of his own. "Is Eriol the half-reincarnation of Clow Reed?" he laughed. "We probably will…but this time we'll be ready…for anything…"  
  


~ * ~

"Tomoyo?!" 

"Sakura?!" 

"Chiharu?!" 

"Rika?!"

"Naoko?!"

All five gasped in shock. What the hell was going on? It had been strange enough – for Chiharu, Rika and Naoko at least – to end up in such a weird place as this…there were dead spirits floating somberly around them, and it didn't take a genius to know that they probably looked the same. Tomoyo, on the other hand shook her head and sighed. "So I guess Syaoran, Meiling and Eriol managed to beat Seria, right…seeing as you're here and everything…" she asked Sakura who nodded.

The other three gazed from one to the other. 'Uh…did we miss something here?" Naoko wondered tentatively. 

Both Sakura and Tomoyo ignored them. "It was so hard Tomoyo," Sakura cried, wrapping her arms around her friend for a hug. "When I visited you…I thought it would be over…I didn't think that she would go after the rest of them…and I saw the look in their eyes – I knew they didn't want to kill me..." The tears began welling up in her eyes and Chiharu shook her head. "Wait let me get this straight…so…Syaoran, Meiling and Eriol _killed you?!"_

Rika clenched her fist. "Ha! I knew Meiling was up to no good!"

Sakura turned to her and shook her head profusely, holding up her hands. "N-no!" she protested. She sighed and looked down. "It's kind of hard to explain…."

Chiharu folded her arms across her chest as did the other two and gazed at Tomoyo and Sakura expectantly. "Go on. We've got all the time in the world…" 

Tomoyo giggled, even though she felt far from laughing…but the prospect was…well kind of funny. "You mean the _Underworld…" _

Sakura raised her eyebrows and Tomoyo held up her hands defensively. "Hey! It gets boring down here!"

"Do you think we should spill?" she whispered wondering how in the world they were going to explain _everything that had happened  - especially since the whole problem probably dated further back than her card capturing days. _

Tomoyo shrugged then seemed to reach a conclusion. "Go ahead…we're dead anyway…"  She winced at the thought, wondering how life was back there…with Eriol and the others…what she wouldn't give to live her life again…

~ * ~

"Live and let live…die and let die…" 

Touya shook his head and sighed. He still missed Sakura a great deal and he always expected her to jump out of bed every morning and start rollerblading down the sidewalk trying to make it in time for school. Fujitaka put and arm around his son's shoulders. Two most important women in his life…gone… "At least they're finally together," he murmured. 

And Touya didn't have to ask to know who he was talking about…

~ * ~

"Have you got the book yet?"

There was a deadly tone to that voice – one that meant no nonsense. 

He shuffled his feet and nodded, even though he knew his Master couldn't see him. "Yes…it was easy as taking candy from a baby…" He chuckled to himself then waited for praise from his Master.

None came. 

"Make sure you don't stuff up this time," was all his Master said. 

Then the line went dead and he shoved the cell phone back in his pants, shaking his head. 

"If something wasn't in it for me, I'd never have done this," he muttered. "But as it is…there's a great deal that could be mine for the taking…as soon as my job is done…"

~ * ~

**Day of Departure**

Syaoran and Meiling wandered down the streets of Tomoeda, heading toward Eriol's home. After one week of full on training and a crapload of waiting, they were finally beginning their journey to get Sakura _and Tomoyo back.  It was actually kind of strange considering the fact that average teenagers didn't have to deal with so much pressure in their lives. In movies with the usual good-versus-bad plot, it was the adults who did the saving and the kids were the ones who usually landed themselves into trouble. This time however, the kids were playing both roles. _

They had landed themselves into a lot of trouble and now they were gonna do the rescuing. 

For a cover-up, they had told Wei that they were going on a two-week excursion with the school, and they'd gotten him to sign the form Meiling had conjured up, just to make sure he believed them. They just had to hope that he wouldn't ring the school to check up on them, but it had been the most believable story they could come up with on such short notice. Hopefully they would be back by the end of those two weeks and things would certainly go back to normal. Hopefully.

The walk over was pretty much a silent one as both Meiling and Syaoran searched their own thoughts and emotions. Neither of them knew what would exactly happen there – the only thing they could do was to 'expect the unexpected' Kero's most famous phrase. He fluttered behind them, his brows furrowed, thinking deeply and Yue trailed along a few steps behind. Their last adventure had mainly been spent locked behind bars, but now they were actually taking part. Yue didn't know if he was glad about that prospect, but Sakura was _his Mistress and he had to do anything to get her back. Besides, the Chinese brat wasn't exactly friendly and didn't have the same sweet cheery smile that Sakura always gave him._

Kero, on the other hand knew that he wouldn't back out of this adventure. If they could bring back Sakura and Tomoyo…then he was up for it…

~ * ~ 

Eriol paced back and forth, wondering if he should tell Meiling and Syaoran about the disappearance of the book. It wasn't that they needed it really – it just would have been more helpful to them. And anyway…maybe he'd just lost it or sold it to a bookstore or something and had forgotten about it. Maybe he'd just misplaced it. In any case, he didn't want to worry the others any further. They had enough to deal with without wondering if somebody else was out to get them…

In any case, he didn't have time to contemplate any further as the doorbell rang and he hurried to answer the door. Any time soon their lives would have changed and they'd be in the Underworld…

The four of them all tumbled inside the roomy home, but Syaoran didn't waste any breath praising the well-furnished rooms. 

"Let's go."

Eriol opened his mouth then closed it again, deciding to stick with his earlier conclusion and just keep the disappearance of the book a secret. He led them to the library and ordered them to form a circle, all the while holding hands. He took up a spot between Meiling and Yue and told them to close their eyes. "Repeat after me…"

Bring forth the powers, 

Force and spell

Unleash the magic

From inside dwells

Send us to the world of dead

Aid us in our plight

Bind us with our magic

And guide us with your light

(AN: okay, that rhyme was soooo lame…but you try thinking of a much better one! Just as I thought…)

They chanted the rhyme a second time and then a slow wind enfolded them all swirling around them fiercely, whipping their hair behind them…

"Hold on!" he heard Syaoran yell as the winds got wilder swaying them from side to side…

Eriol took a deep breath. There was no backing out now…

~ * ~

 Syaoran swallowed and shut his eyes tightly, squeezing Meiling's hand on his left and Eriol's on his right. He couldn't help it if he felt a few doubts, but he told himself to remain calm. Stranger things had happened right? Things would be okay…

The winds ceased and a soft glow bathed all five of them in its rays shooting upwards to shine upon them from the ground, then blinded them with excruciating brightness as there was one last flash before their feet were no longer rooted into place, falling through a deep cavernous hole that seemed to swallow them up hungrily. 

This was it. 

The last thing Syaoran heard as blackness surrounded them was Meiling's scream that seemed to shatter his eardrums. He felt excruciating pain as all five squeezed each other's hand tight, hoping they wouldn't get separated by the force that seemed to be knocking the air out of their lungs…

_We're going doooooooooooooooooooown…_

~ * ~

Hehehe…now, doesn't that make you want to read the next chapter? I don't know if it counts as a cliffhanger, but I reckon you guys probably wanna wring my neck right now for stopping it here.

Oh well…I'd appreciate if you'd review please. And any suggestions are welcome since I don't have the whole plot planned out yet. 

Besides, 2867 words!!! Be proud of me! And yes, I actually counted. -_-;;


	3. It Doesn't Look Pretty

Hoo ha! Yes, I actually got my butt moving and wrote the next chapter to this! Actually, to tell the truth I was gonna abandon this fic immediately, but then I realized how unfair that would be to you guys, and I owe it to my writer pals AngelSweetie, AngelHart and SpringbloomOpal to finish this. Lmao! Anyway, I wasn't exactly sure how I was gonna set about doing this, as Artemis: The Huntress reminded me of, but I figured I'd just do the old-fashioned thing and make it up. This chapter is light-hearted and strays from the main plotline a bit, to relieve you all of the darkness. This is more a setter-upper for the next chapter and it's really short, but I promise I'll make up for it in the next chappy.

I don't own CCS. When will you ever understand?

**The Awakening**

**Chapter Two: It Doesn't Look Pretty**

"Whoah!" Syaoran cracked open an eye slowly and immediately wished he hadn't. Light, fierce blinding light engulfed him and brought on a terrible migraine. Had they somehow done it wrong and had landed themselves in an alternate reality?

Damn this glaring light!

He swore profusely and rolled over to shake Eriol awake who was dozing happily beside him, a small smile on his face and droplets of drool emerging from his mouth. There was a groan as Eriol, just like Syaoran, opened an eye warily and then shut it again. "Where are the clowns  and the dancing jelly babies?" he muttered under his breath.

Syaoran grinned. "Rise and shine!"

Pushing Syaoran aside, Eriol rose to shake both Kero and Yue awake, both of whom seemed to be having equally nice dreams. "Plenty of sprinkles and hold the cherry," Kero called out cheerfully as Syaoran and Eriol exchanged a glance.

It was then that Syaoran noticed that they were one person short.

"Hey – where's Meiling?!"

~ * ~ * ~

"Who's idea was this anyway?" Meiling growled. She surveyed the expanse of dancing coloured light swirling around her and groaned. "It looks like I landed myself in the 6O's. Love beads, peace and rainbows…_this is supposed to be the Underworld?"_

_Where are the dead people?_

"And more importantly, where are the others?" She groaned and slapped her head in exasperation. "With all my luck I bet I've been separated from the group." 

The colours were so irritating and bright – were they _meant to bring on headaches? _

"Where's a Panadol when you need one?"

~ * ~ * ~

Sirens went off around the entire area and out of instinct all five brought their hands to their ears to block off the ear-splitting sound. "What the heck is going on?" Tomoyo demanded, her face pained. "It sounds like Kero – trying to _sing!"_

"Not good," Sakura agreed, ignoring the confused looks on the other three's faces. 

"Who's Kero?"

The both of them – Sakura and Tomoyo – had just been about to explain their dilemma and what they had been doing here – dead – when the sirens had gone off. 

The many creatures and people around them were in absolute hysterics, and ran this way and that being ushered by winged creatures which Sakura supposed were meant to be angels who hadn't gotten the job as Kami's secretary and were reduced to Underworld guide instead. She almost felt sorry for them, but that still didn't explain that horrible racket.

"Excuse me ladies – if you follow me…" Another one of the angels took hold of Sakura's hand and ushered them away from the noise and toward a great building held up by pillars. 

"What's going on?" Chiharu panted, fighting to keep up with the others. "First of all, we're _dead. And if that's not enough, there's that noise that's bugging the heck out of me…"_

The angel looked her up and down, his face look haggard and lined for somebody who was supposed to be so angelic and light-hearted, and his shoulders sagged in his too-loose white robes. 

"Some idiot has tried to enter the Underworld when it's not their time yet, and things are on a malfunction. We're trying to track them down now - "

He scurried off in a wild frenzy to calm the rest of the Underworld spirits down, leaving the five of them to exchange a glance beneath the great building where many of the other spirits were now regaining their wits.

"Three guesses who," Sakura muttered.

Tomoyo didn't need the other two guesses to know. "Eriol and the others." 

~ * ~ * ~

"I could've been Kami-sama's secretary," Geraldo grumbled beneath his breath as he scurried past the hysterical spirits and toward section 18 where the rest of the faculty of the Underworld were trying to locate the source of the sirens. "But nooo. I got this job instead." 

He glanced warily around him and sighed. New spirits, crabby because they were stuck in the Underworld until they were sorted to a Heaven or Hell. It was torture having to deal with these mere amateurs. 

He gave a curt nod to Ailena who guarded the doors dutifully, and strode into the main building which controlled the entire Underworld. The rest of the faculty looked up when they heard his heavy steps and managed weak smiles. 

"Have you found him yet?" he demanded, running a frustrated hand through his thinning hair. As an Underworld Staff Member he _shouldn't have lost any of his hair – that was one of the reasons why he had taken this job offer instead. He'd have to talk to Kami-sama about that. Rule 2567 was 'no false-advertising.'_

"Uh," Magri stuttered nervously. "We've found the source…there are _five of them sir. Four on sector 8K, and one roaming the Lost Sector."_

There were gulps as Geraldo's face went a deep crimson.

"Who in their right minds would willingly come to the Underworld?!" he exploded.

"Somebody who has just lost a loved one," Ailene murmured from the door, and it was as if that was all the explanation that everybody else needed…

~ * ~ * ~

"So let me get this straight," Kero groaned, his arms crossed over his chest in exasperation. Yue stood beside him, his ice-blue eyes showing no hint of emotion whatsoever, as opposed to Kero who looked ready to blow his top.

"We came here to bring back Sakura and Tomoyo without knowing if our plan would work in the first place, and now we're _separated on top of everything else, and we're lost. __And there isn't a dead spirit in sight."_

Eriol pushed up his glasses and smiled wryly.

"Yup. It doesn't look pretty. We're screwed."

~ * ~ * ~

There next chapter up fairly soon – I promise. Holidays are nearly here! This is just to tide you guys over until I can get my brain ticking, my butt moving and my ideas up and running. ^_^ Told ya it was short.

Suggestion, constructive criticism, even flames are welcome!

  



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